Oscar De La Hoya is one of the finest athletes to compete in the sport of boxing and has faced the best of the best.
The ‘Golden Boy’ may be best known to newer fans as a promoter, but he has an incredible career as an athlete in boxing as well.
Last competing in 2008, De La Hoya hung up his gloves with a professional record of 39-6. However, his accomplishments in the sport will be remembered forever.
In his retirement, the American has made a name for himself as one of boxing’s most interesting characters. De La Hoya even ran for president in his post-fighting career as one of his many memorable moments.
However, De La Hoya holds a record from his fighting career that may never be broken in the history of boxing, which is what he should be best known for.
Oscar De La Hoya won world titles in six weight classes in 10 years
Making his debut in 1992, De La Hoya would compete for the first time at 134 lbs. However, throughout his career, the ‘Golden Boy’ would fight at various weights, from 130 lbs up to 160 lbs.
Just two years after stepping into the ring for the first time, De La Hoya would find himself competing for his first world title, at age 21. Facing Jimmi Bredahl, a 10th-round stoppage would make De La Hoya a world champion in the super featherweight division.
However, De La Hoya would leave the weight class after just four months, moving to lightweight. A second-round knockout over Jorge Paez would make him a two-weight division champion.
Making six title defenses of his WBO World Lightweight belt, De La Hoya would once again move up weight classes in 1996. Challenging fellow legend Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, one of the greatest Mexican boxers of all time, De La Hoya claimed the WBC World Super Lightweight title.
The ‘Golden Boy’ would stay in the super lightweight division for just shy of a year, before dethroning Pernell Whitaker for the WBC World Welterweight title in 1997.
Staying at welterweight for four years, De La Hoya wouldn’t move weight classes again until 2001. Challenging Javier Castillejo for his WBC World Super Welterweight title, De La Hoya would win via unanimous decision.
De La Hoya would win his sixth and final division title in 2004 when he faced Felix Sturm in Las Vegas. Winning a relatively close fight via unanimous decision, De La Hoya would make history by claiming the WBO World Middleweight title.
This meant it took just 10 years for ‘Golden Boy’ to win world titles in six weight divisions, a truly remarkable achievement.
The only other fighter to match this feat is Manny Pacquiao, who won world titles a in eight weight-classes.
However, it the Philipino 11 years to win his sixth title, or 422 longer than the ‘Golden Boy’. This means that De La Hoya is the record holder for the boxer to claim six world titles in different weight divisions in the shortest period of time.
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Oscar De La Hoya has only lost to the very best
Although there are more impressive records than De La Hoya’s 39-6 at a glance, the losses the ‘Golden’ boy have suffered have only been to the very best.
1999 would be when De La Hoya suffered his first loss, as he was on the wrong side of a majority decision after facing Felix Trinidad, who had a perfect 35-0 record at the time.
Boxing legend Shane Mosely would then hand De La Hoya his next two losses, besting him on the scorecards in 2000 and 2003. The first bout between the pair took place at welterweight, while the two contested for super welterweight titles in their sequel.
Bernard Hopkins would hand De La Hoya his first stoppage loss in 2004 with a ninth round knockout in the middleweight title bout.
Floyd Mayweather, who was described as Canelo Alvarez’s hardest opponent, defeated De La Hoya via split decision in 2007, before his final loss would come against the following year.
Despite his six losses, only the very best fighters can say that they have bested the ‘Golden Boy’ in their career.